With living costs varying dramatically between countries, direct comparisons aren’t always useful, which is why context matters when it comes to offering a partner support budget.
The booze index
A night of fine dining in Singapore will drain your wallet far more than in Spain, Portugal, or Italy, especially if alcohol is involved. One expat partner joked that she and her husband had embraced a “super healthy lifestyle” in Singapore after discovering a pint of beer in a trendy restaurant can cost USD $15–20 and a glass of wine may reach $30. “You may as well drink champagne!” she laughed. “But we have genuinely adapted our social life, preferring to meet friends at hawker centres for affordable local fare, or co-organising a dinner in someone’s home.”
High price for fitness
The same expat partner also holds a membership at Virgin Active Singapore, a premium fitness chain, which costs about SGD $138 per fortnight (USD $100). Her husband’s company reimburses the cost through its partner support programme – facilitated by Global Connection – something she greatly appreciates: “It brings me tremendous value. I can use any Virgin gym, which is handy when dropping my son at football matches across the city. The variety of classes has helped me to not only stay active but also meet new people and stay socially connected.”
Costs climbing elsewhere
And yet, Singapore may not even top the list when it comes to pricey gyms worldwide. In Tokyo, Dubai, or Hong Kong, memberships can climb even higher. But perhaps all of this begs the question – how much is too much for a partner support programme to cover? What looks like ‘luxury spending’ in one country may be the baseline for staying active or socially connected in another. At the end of the day, effective support is about enabling informed, balanced decisions – not simply approving or denying requests. In some countries, we have granted gym membership at hotels, because it’s not safe to go to the local gym. But if it is perfectly safe to go to a normal gym, we don’t grant requests for hotel club memberships.
Tailored support matters
For programmes spanning diverse economies, we believe flexibility is paramount and that’s why Global Connection’s personalised approach matters. By mediating between the assigning company and the partner, our consultants ensure requests are considered in context, helping organisations stay consistent while supporting each and every partner’s wellbeing, no matter where they are in the world.
Jacqueline van Haaften is the Managing Director of Global Connection
